Can I take flouxitine while pregnant?

my objyn told me I can take flouxitin (prozac) I'm 15 weeks pregnant.I visited other dr to ask if I can take benzodiazepine such as clonazepam too or not?! he really made me disappointed cause he told me I cant take fouxitin too. now I'm totally depress any help please? ...

Responses (3)

Neonates exposed to fluoxetine and other SSRIs or SNRIs late in the third trimester have developed complications requiring hospitalization, respiratory support, and tube feeding. The results of a cohort study indicate that 30% of neonates who had prolonged exposure to SSRIs in utero experience symptoms, in a dose-response manner, of a neonatal abstinence syndrome (e.g., tremor, gastrointestinal or sleep disturbances, hypertonicity, high-pitched cry) after birth. The authors suggest that infants exposed to SSRIs should be closely monitored for a minimum of 48 hours after birth. Based on the results of a retrospective case-controlled study, the manufacturer states that infants exposed to SSRIs after the 20th week of gestation may have a six-fold higher risk for developing persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) compared with infants who had not been exposed. It should be noted that PPHN is associated with significant neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, evidence from additional studies is warranted in order to confirm these findings. A prospective study compared the outcome of 228 pregnant women taking fluoxetine to 254 pregnant control women. The rates of spontaneous pregnancy loss were 10.5% and 9.1% respectively. The rates of major structural abnormalities were 5.5% and 4.0%. The incidence of three or more minor anomalies was significantly higher in exposed infants (15.5% vs. 6.5%). Infants exposed during the third trimester had high rates of premature delivery, admission to special care nurseries, and poor neonatal adaptation (including respiratory difficulty, cyanosis on feeding and jitteriness). Infants exposed late in gestation had shorter birth lengths and lower birth weights. One author has pointed out that he feels a problem with the above study was the absence of a relevant control group. Higher rates of perinatal complications, including lower birth weight, neonatal distress and prematurity, have been described in the offspring of mothers with mood and anxiety disorders who did not take any psychotropic drug during pregnancy. Furthermore, he points out that women who continued to take fluoxetine into the third trimester probably had more severe psychiatric illnesses. Another prospective study of 128 pregnant women exposed to a mean daily dose of 25.8 mg of fluoxetine during the first trimester reported no increase in the frequency of major malformations compared to two groups of control patients. (One control group received tricyclic antidepressants. The other control group received nonteratogens.) However, women exposed to fluoxetine and tricyclic antidepressants did demonstrate an increased frequency of miscarriage (13.5% and 12.2% compared to 6.8% in women exposed to nonteratogens.) One last prospective study compared rates of neonatal complications from 112 pregnant women taking fluoxetine and the 115 infants they delivered to the National Hospital Discharge Survey. The study concluded it was unlikely that maternal fluoxetine use during the third trimester results in significant postnatal complications.

It really is a matter of if the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the baby. The problem being that a depressed mother can cause harm to the baby as well. So it maybe important to treat the depression if it is serious enough. There are alternative treatments such as psychotherapy and light therapy that may help while you are pregnant and wouldn't harm the baby. Are you in counseling? It really must be a decision you make based on how severe your symptoms are. If you can take care of yourself and the baby and not take any meds while pregnant, then that is always the best avenue BUT if you are so depressed or anxious that you are not taking care of yourself and not functioning on a daily basis then it is best to consider the medication.

it is difficult I am sure but the best thing you can do is follow your OB?GYB's instructions, this will prevent you complications during the pregnancy, take good care of yourself, he knows your history and he is better able to make these decisions. please take good care and have a healthy baby!

Go by what your OB-GYN says. A lot of other Drs wont take a chance on their liscense by saying it is okay to take meds. An OB-GYN is trained to know what is safe and when. You can also do your own research and if you have questions, bring it up to the OB and ask him/her why they say what they say! Good Luck and congrats on your new little life!!!